Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

honcho

/ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.41 in modern English

Syllables
hon-cho
IPA
/ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Boss, leader.

Informal

verb

To lead or manage.

Canadian usage; American usage; Informal; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Japanese 班(はん)長(ちょう) (hanchō, “squad leader”), from 19th c. Mandarin 班長 /班长 (bānzhǎng, “team leader”). Probably entered English during World War II: many apocryphal stories describe American soldiers hearing Japanese prisoners-of-war refer to their lieutenants as hanchō.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/
  • British English: /ˈhɒn.tʃəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce honcho?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/.
What does honcho mean?
Boss, leader.
Where does honcho come from?
It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce honcho

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “honcho”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “honcho”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “honcho” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.